galacticforces

[galacticforces]

Merry Christmas in April?!

I didn't mean to hold out on this special art and story I commissioned from @bumblingbabooshka back in December! Vorik and his wife, Starrah -- and their new baby T'Vin!! -- are my favorite lower deckers of U.S.S. Voyager ♡

I don't want to mess with formatting so you can read the very adorable accompanying story shared here:

Plus bonus sketches. Oh Vorik you look so serious<33

[galacticforces]

[galacticforces]

"You realize now that if he goes to try to talk to me there, he's going to just about lose his mind?" And though she didn't blame Morse for lying, she did care about Jim's general well-being. Ultimately, though, it was out of her hands, and he was a grown man, capable of making his own decisions.

Joan sighed and closed her eyes to try to remember, and described as much as she could of the men she'd gotten a look at, including the voice of one of them. "They'd done this before, or at least something similar. They were coordinated. Like military, maybe. No hesitation over involving me, that's for sure, and they knew right when to attack. And they did blindfold me, though it was easy enough to shrug off with the help of the tree, so I only really saw the beginning. I'm sorry it's not more--would've been handy if I were a pickpocket and I could just hand you their identification."

She swallowed the last of the liquid in her glass with a grimace, then stood and (after a wince over her ankle) held out her hands to him. "Time for bed, I think."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

"Well," she responded, smiling teasingly. "I trust you'll do your duty and make every effort." She took a large swallow before she set the glass aside and scooted comfortably up to Morse's side. She planted her elbow on the back of the couch by his head so she could lean her cheek into her hand. "And when he does come for you, I'll be sure to stand in the way so he can't harm your poor face. Frankly, you've had plenty of head injuries already--enough to last a lifetime, I'd think." She stroked his cheek affectionately.

Jim didn't and wouldn't forgive her for anything, of course. If she did go back to him now, he'd resent her for tonight's events till the day he died. Still, she supposed it was reasonable that he was floundering, looking for any way to avoid suffering through this disastrous change to his plans, anything to soothe the shocking pain of his heartbreak. Joan felt terrible for how little of that pain she felt herself, but it was hard to dwell on it while she was looking at Morse.

"Taking me back to my flat, are you?" she continued, changing the subject slightly. That was easily the most amusing part of what she'd heard. "Because if you are taking me home tonight, I'm going to have to insist that you stay with me. I wouldn't want to be unprotected if those kidnappers returned."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

missing them hours

[galacticforces]

They'd better be facing consequences together, because there were going to be a hell of a lot of them, and she'd thrown everything in with Morse. Her parents were moving away, her brother was ... Well, he was moving with them, but more importantly, he was a wreck. Her ex-fiance has just been left nearly at the altar, and would be rightfully furious at the both of them. It was good he was likely to be moving too, but Joan had burned some bridges. Even some of her closest friends were going to judge and hate her for doing this, and Morse... Well. His friends were likely to be worse. They'd paint him as the villain who swooped in and stole another man's fianceé, as though she were merely property to be owned or stolen at a man's leisure.

She smiled, just a little, and though she was still breathing unevenly from her fit of tears, it was easy enough to brush it off then with a wet laugh and a glance down and back up. "You said it earlier--there's no sense in worrying about could have beens." She paused, just to look at him and wonder at how incredibly lovely he was, then she hugged him tightly again. "I don't suppose you've got anything stronger than tea? It's been a terror of a day."

It was after the first sip of whiskey that the telephone rang. "You don't have to answer it. I'm sure you know... You don't have to, is all. You don't always have to be the perfectly honorable hero."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

She didn't know about that, but it was nice to know that he thought so. She put her foot back on the floor, but didn't get up or pull away. It was just nice, to have the warmth of him next to her. It felt safe. Things with Jim had been safe too, objectively. She'd been able to convince herself that he wouldn't hit her, and he had a steady career, and that it would be enough. But this? There was a reason she'd come to Morse at the very worst moment of her life. She wrapped her arms around him, leaning into him even more, and savored the feeling.

"I don't suppose you'd like to help me wash my hair?" she finally ventured, quiet and maybe just a bit playful. "It's just that I'll never get a comb through it dry, and you did seem to enjoy helping just now."

-

Cleaned properly, with her hair lying wet and freshly-combed over her shoulders, dressed primarily in one of Morse's clean shirts, things felt okay. As okay as they possibly could be, anyway, given the conversations and consequences looming over their heads. They found something cold for her ankle and she leaned against him for a while longer, and then she had to face the telephone.

Her mother felt easier, if only because she'd been practicing being rude to her mother since she was little. When the questions and dismay and disappointment started flowing, Joan just hung up. Jim... Jim was harder. She truly did care for him. She couldn't say that she'd ever been properly in love with him, but she didn't want to be the one to hurt him this way.

"Jim... I was kidnapped. Something to do with Dad and the Blenhein Vale mess, I think. But I'm fine. I'm safe. I'm hurt, and shaken up, but I'm safe. But... No. No, I won't tell you where I am, because there's something I need to tell you. Listen to me, please. I-" Her voice broke, and that was the moment that tears welled up properly in her eyes. "I can't marry you tomorrow. No- No, Jim, listen! I can't marry you. I can't- I can't be... Even the villains you face at work know who's going to recklessly come to my rescue, and it isn't you." She paused, and she was sure Morse could hear how worked up Strange was getting on the other side of the line. "I don't want to see you. Not-" And here came the moment of truth. To tell him or not to. "I betrayed you. I wasn't honest with you. Not from the very first date. And I thought you would be enough for me, and I wanted you to be. I could say it was the adrenaline, or last minute cold feet, or- but it wasn't. It wasn't any of that. I chose to be unfaithful to you. It doesn't matter who. It's not his fault any more than it's yours. I- I'm sorry. I'm sorry I hurt you, but I made my choice. And it's an awful one and you don't deserve this, but it's been made. And if I could do it over... I'd make the same choice again. You should still take the job. It'll be good for you. Go on the trip, move, find someone who-" She bit her lip and shook her head as he responded. "Goodbye, Jim."

And then, tears not stopping, she hung up the phone. She hung up, and she put her arms around Morse again, and despite her very best intentions, she sobbed.

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

Joan cupped his cheek and tilted his face up enough to kiss him again, soft and gentle and grateful, then she laid her head down on his shoulder while he finished up.

"In the interest of fairness..." She swallowed, but he deserved to know. If he'd been pining after her all this time, he deserved to know that she'd been almost as bad. "I've been trying to nudge you into asking me for a date since you first turned up at our door. I only- I only agreed to go with Jim because I'd just about given up on you. I thought- I thought your best friend might be enough to stir up a little jealousy, if you had any feelings for me--that it might get you to finally say something. And then when you didn't..." She shrugged. "Well. I did give up hope. And at least with Jim I'd still get to see you."

It was embarrassing to lay it out like that. It sounded so terribly pathetic. "I haven't a clue what I'm meant to tell him now though. The truth, I suppose, though it makes me out to be a monster."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

It shouldn't be so surprising, that he's been holding himself at this distance so purposefully, but it was. It was a surprise, because how could he not have said anything before? How could he have ignored all of her hinting, and all of the opportunities, if he'd been so sure of his desire? How could he have such enormous self-control?

She couldn't deny, though, that his restraint had been part of his charm. "No one's ever said that you'd need to stop, have they?"

She let him take over, and, after a moment of staring at him, she let herself be lured in by the call of him again. Messy as it was now, his hair was beautiful, and she touched gently at first before combing her fingers through it.

"Were you in love with me all that time ago?" she asked softly. "When you asked me?" She didn't think she needed to specify what question she was referring to. "I wish you'd said. I thought- Well. You know what I thought. But I wish I'd known."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

She reached awkwardly for the door handle, then swung it open to reveal herself, not even half-dressed, sitting on the edge of the bath with his first aid supplies spread out around her. She was dabbing one of her scrapes with iodine.

Joan had cleaned up a bit, using a wash towel to wipe away most of the dirt and grime, but some spots had certainly been missed, and her hair hadn't been such a hopeless tangle since she'd stopped climbing trees as a child.

"If you can't call me by my given name now, you're a lost cause," she said lightly, only glancing up before going back to what she was doing. "I'll put things back when I'm done--hope you don't mind. I think my ankle will be alright with some ice and rest, actually." She hoped, at least.

Joan set the iodine aside again and looked up at him properly. "I'm sorry for this. I didn't- I didn't mean for it to get so serious with Jim in the first place. I certainly didn't mean to put you in such an awful situation. But I have done now, and I'm sorry for that."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

Finally.

It was awful timing, and Joan was going to feel guilty about this for ages, but for Morse to finally take the hint? For him to finally let go of propriety and let her in? She'd throw away anything for that, and that was, she realized, exactly what she was doing. She faltered, briefly, when she realized Jim would never forgive Morse for this, but she couldn't stop now either.

They kissed for ages, of course, and then wandering hands ended up under clothes and clothes ended up discarded and Joan was more than happy to fall onto his bed and let the day's anxieties fall away in passion. It was only after, when she lay next to him, sweaty and breathing heavily, that she bothered to think about practicalities enough to say what she should have said right at the start. "The wedding's off. Obviously." Then, because a difficult conversation about the future probably wasn't what either of them needed just now, she rolled over and away, pulled on the first clothing she found, and added, "Where's your bathroom?"

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

Yes, well. Who's fault was that? She'd only said 'yes' to a night out with Jim in the first place because she'd thought it might motivate Morse to step up. But then he hadn't and Jim had been kind. He didn't deserve this--Morse was right about that. But sometimes life wasn't about what anyone deserved.

She just had to be sure. That's all.

"But you'd rather I wasn't?" she asked, and when his face told the tale of that, she stroked his jaw with her thumb, lightly touched the very edges of his hair, and then pulled him down the rest of the way.

Joan kissed him. And then she kissed him, with passion, like she meant it, and it didn't matter that they were both filthy or that she was sore and exhausted and thirsty. It just mattered that they were both alive, and the damage had finally broken, and it was just the two of them.

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

Star Trek: Voyager I Phage

[galacticforces]

Joan could see him battling with his own emotions. She could see him falter, and deliberately avoid looking her way, and she was sure she saw him silence himself--a slight tightening of his lips, like he'd decided very firmly not to say whatever he'd wanted to. It felt as though he'd been doing that for the entire time of their acquaintance. It was only fair, given she'd been doing much the same.

She let him have his silence. Just, "It's very much like you," and then she was quiet too, all the way until they reached his home. It was pleasantly different from the residence she'd seen him in the last time she'd taken him up on his hospitality, if only for a few minutes. Her heart ached just to think of that encounter, but that whole year had been tainted with the most awful feelings, and heartache was one of the lesser of them.

She let him help her out of the car, hissing when she put weight back on her injured ankle. She hobbled inside with him as a support, but before he could help her to a seat, she stopped him. She just stopped, right there in his little sitting space, all her weight on her left foot and her hand on his arm, and she stared up at his face.

He wasn't going to do it. Not ever. She could see that now, but between the pain and the relief and the letdown from the adrenaline that had fueled their escape... she wasn't content with it. Not nearly as much as she'd convinced herself she was. So she looked up at him, and she wet her lips with a quick dart of her tongue, and then she pulled him down by his lapels, close enough that her intentions were obvious, though she didn't actually press her lips to his--not yet.

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

"It's terrible," she said dryly, then, after only a second's pause, she turned and leaned, and without forcing him to look away from the road, kissed his cheek. Then she sat back down like nothing had happened. "It'll be alright; I'll live." And that was a wonderful thing, all on its own. "This was all very stupid though, just so you know. I bet you could've had half the force out here, if you'd slowed down enough to think of it." She smiled though, and hoped it softened the criticism.

She was deliberately avoiding thinking, because what exactly was she supposed to think about? The expense of cancelling the wedding? What it meant that she was relieved by it? Why she just felt the need to kiss Morse? That could be explained easily enough as just a grateful or relieved gesture, but unfortunately, she knew herself better than that. "Where are we going to go?" Her not-thoughts had circled back to how obviously in-danger Morse was now. "Not home, certainly. They'd know to look for you there."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

When the gunshot rang out, she flinched so violently that she almost fell, terrified. She didn't have to be told twice to run. It hurt, of course, and she was certainly doing more damage to her ankle, but she ran.

It was a struggle to keep up with Morse and his long legs, though, and several times, she found herself tripping up and squeezing his hand more tightly as he pulled her along. Credit where credit was due, though--they didn't get shot. Not even when more bangs rung out through the trees toward them.

She wanted to look back, because if she didn't know where the bullets were coming from, how could she dodge? But of course she wouldn't really be able to dodge anyway, so between the tripping and her heavy breathing and that knowledge, she resisted the desire. All the way until they were out of the trees and, because fate could be terribly cruel, she fell properly, ripping her hand out of his by the simple facts of gravity and anxious sweat.

She looked then. How could she not? Scrambling up backwards, she looked, and she didn't even see anything helpful; it just slowed her down.

Back on her feet, her ankle screaming in hot, horrible pain, she felt a glimmer of inappropriate relief. They'd have to delay the wedding now. Not just the bruises to cover, but now she wouldn't be able to even walk down the aisle. Sorry to the family, but there wasn't going to be a party tomorrow after all.

"In-?" she asked breathlessly, as her hands hit the side of the car. "Should I-?" And everything was too fast and too urgent for more words than that, really, when that communicated well enough what she was asking.

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

Trust him. Trust him, as though she'd ever had a thought not to, as though he hadn't saved her life before, and as though she didn't already possess absolute faith in his ability to do it again. It was notable, wasn't it, that it was him here and not her fiance? Jim was Morse's best friend, to hear him tell it, and yet the pair of them hardly spent time together anymore. Certainly not around her. And Morse hadn't thought to call him in when Joan was in danger? Surely, anyone else would have placed this right in Jim Strange's hands. Joan knew her fiance at least well enough to say this for certain: he wasn't going to appreciate being left out of the loop.

It wasn't particularly helpful, really, to have her arm around his shoulders. All she needed to do was step carefully, and she could do that almost as easily without his support. But that would involve stepping away, and she couldn't bear to reinsert that terrible distance when she'd finally just been granted this closeness. And when his inaction had revealed such an enticing path to possibilities in him.

"I trust you to protect me. What I don't trust is that you'll take care of yourself." She paused to let that settle, then amid the crunching of their steps and the soft sound of their breathing, she said, "Morse..." quiet and curious and hopeful. Then she shook her head. Later. When they got out of here. When they weren't trying to be quick and stealthy and aware of their surroundings. "Just focus on the heroics, hmm? I don't need comforting too."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?